Vezna Varly and the Caps Survive Game 5

The Caps should have put this series away long ago, but their lack of offense has the Rangers looking like the better team and have the Caps hanging on for their hockey lives. In Game 5 the offense finally came alive and the Caps cruised to victory, forcing a Game 6 in New York on Sunday. Part of the problem so far for the Caps is they only show up when they want to. If the Caps played the way they did tonight in Game 2, this series is over, but instead they play passive hockey and seem to wait until it their backs are against the wall to play their best hockey. The key to tonight's win was they jump on the Rangers early and when the Caps score first they rarely lose. Another key for the Caps was they got secondary scoring in the form of Matt Bradley who had two goals tonight against King Henry after getting shut out in his first fifteen games against the net minder. Everything went right tonight in DC and the Caps need the same performance in New York if they are to have any chance at all in this series and while it's a still a long shot, if the Caps can come back to win this series I feel bad for the team they meet in Round 2.

After Loss, Game 2 Becomes A Must Win

Please, feel bad for me, I'm a Capitals fan. The Caps had huge expectations going into the playoffs this year and while the playoffs are far from over, the Caps sure didn't help themselves by losing 4-3 at home in their first game against the Rangers. Losing the first game means game 2 becomes a must win because they certainly don't want to go to New York down 2-0 in the series. Theodore was bad, the defense was bad and quite frankly I feel this Caps team will be lucky if they get out of the first round alive. Theodore MUST be at the top of his game because anyone familiar with the Caps knows their defense is horrible. Ovechkin showed up, as did Semin, but the playoffs require everyone showing up and playing at the top of their game. The Caps dominated on face offs, but allowed two power play goals to a team that converted slightly over 13 percent during the regular season. The Caps haven't won a playoff series since 1998 and aren't likely to win one this year if they keep up with the lackluster play they showed tonight, so please if you know a Caps fan, send them a get well soon card, or maybe give them the number to a suicide prevention line because right now they need it. Game 2 is Saturday, so I plan on having a horrible Saturday following mass amounts of alcohol followed by bad decisions. Thanks Caps for another letdown, but hey, at least you're good at something.

P.S. this will be my last blog here, but you can visit me at "I'mnowaPensfan.com"

There is more than chocolate coming out of Hershey

Every NHL team talks about depth, whether it be depth on the bench or throughout the organization and there is no other team in the league with more depth than the Caps. The Caps have used 40 different players this year and are most likely going to finish second in the Eastern Conference and are challenging team records in wins and points. With all of the injuries and players the Caps have used this year you would have expected them to be battling it out with the Islanders for John Tavares in the upcoming draft. The call ups out of Hershey have been so good this year that many around Washington want them in the lineup next week when the playoffs start. Perhaps the most impressive call up has been goaltender, Simeon Varlamov who has filed in for the injured Brent Johnson beautifully going 4-0-1 with a 2.37 GAA and a .918 save percentage. The Caps are one of the league's best this year, but an even better team awaits. Just think, Ovie, Green, and Backstrom haven't hit their prime yet and with the full-time addition of Karl Alzner and Varlamov, the Caps will be scary good for many years to come.

Powerplay Powerful, But Other Questions Remain

To make a long run in the playoffs teams need great goal tending and a powerful power play. While the jury is still out on the Caps goal tending, the Caps are guilty of having one of the league's best power plays and I think, the best power play unit in Ovie, Semin, Backstrom and Green. The Caps rank second in the league on the power play and in the last two games alone have five power play goals. The last time I remember something being that potent I was in the Cologne department of Bloomingdales. Last year's playoff birth was a surprise and the Caps fell just short of going to the second round, but this year the team was expected to go to playoffs and with the offensive firepower to take down any team, the only question that remains is how well will Jose and the D holdup against the league's best.